Episode 502: Bloodlines
Bloodlines is the second episode of the fifth season and the sixty-fourth episode overall. Notes *Clients: Ryoko *Bad Guys: Takeda Synopsis Working for Max and the CIA, Michael must keep an asset from spilling secrets as pillow talk. Meanwhile Jesse convinces the team to take the case of a woman whose sister has been taken by a ruthless gang of human traffickers. Spy Facts When you're pursuing someone, it's tempting to focus exclusively on overtaking the other person. It's often better to force the other person you're chasing to go faster than the terrain allows, and wait for them to make a mistake. But even when a chase ends, you can never assume the other person will give up without a fight. Intelligence agencies spend more money protecting secrets than stealing them. But no digital encryption or bio-metrically locked vaults can keep sensitive information from spilling out of an indiscreet assets mouth, which is why one of the most common duties of a spy is babysitting. Covert security is all about making friends. You have to give yourself a plausible reason to be near your target. Some of the most important secrets in the world have been protected by a guy with a few stories and a drink in his hand. Controlling an unruly asset is tough, especially when women and alcohol are combined. Which is why, as a general rule, you don't even try to control the hunter, you just scare off the prey. Interrogating a captive isn't just about what you know about them, it's what they know about you. If they think you're cops, they'll behave one way. If they think you're rivals, they'll behave another. It's a choice you'll only get to make once, so you'll have to do your homework and get it right the first time. Using civilians in undercover operations is all about emotional manipulation, so it's your job to help them be who they need to be, feel what they need to feel by any means necessary. When you can't keep an asset away from his favorite vice, it's often better to supply him with a safe target. Which is one reason why female operatives are trained in how to keep men interested while fending them off like Akido masters. A necessary evil that goes along with being a spy is maintaining friendships with all sorts of unsavory people, like drug dealers for example. Of course, some friendships are friendlier than others. The work of a spy doesn't always involve undermining people. Often times, the solution to a problem is simply convincing someone to behave like a better human being, but it may take more than a stern lecture. The most advanced directional microphones can capture human speech at distances of 200 meters. So long as you have a clear line of sight on your target, there's nothing better for eavesdropping on a private conversation. When tailing someone dangerous, it's a good idea to give yourself an innocent-sounding reason to be following your target. Most of the time you won't need it, but if it turns out your target is on to you, you'll really need it. Full Recap We open on a motorcycle chase through the Costa Rican jungle. Michael is doing the chasing. Turns out he was chasing Fiona. Soon, though, Michael is called back to work. Back in Miami, Max, meets up with Michael to give him his first official government gig in a while. Michael is going to have to protect a valuable asset named Carson Huxley, who's in town for a conference and has a penchant for cheating on his wife, which could lead to him spilling secret info or being blackmailed to hide evidence of his trysts. Michael and Fi are looking at an apartment overlooking the beach, but he's not really paying attention. He gets a call from Jesse and has to go. Fi is annoyed. Jesse has a job and needs Michael's help, saying there are "a whole lot of girls that are going to die" if he doesn't help. Michael resists because he's starting his first government job in so long. Jesse explains there's human trafficking going on and 20-30 girls are missing. Michael says Jesse's timing couldn't be worse. He promises to help as soon as he can. Fi tells Jesse she'll call Sam. Fi, Jesse and Sam meet with Ryoko, who explains that girls from her village back in Japan have been forced into doing bad things. Michael tries to get close to Huxley at the hotel bar. He uses a strategy of being the world's worst wingman to keep Huxley from hooking up with women and spilling any secrets. Fi, Sam and Jesse stake out Takeda, the gang leader who's running the human trafficking ring. They see a waiter whisper something to Takeda and he leaves. They realize Takeda was tipped off and he runs because he thinks they're cops. A foot chase ends up with him getting hit by a car. They stuff him in the back seat of Jesse's car and head out. The plan on how to interrogate Takeda ensues, but Michael gets thrown off when Maddy is called in to play nurse. Michael tells her he's going to have to treat her badly so that Takeda thinks she's being forced to work for him (Michael), who is acting as a big gang boss himself. He warns her it will be awkward and won't feel like an act, then unloads a series of shouts and shoves that really seem to scare Maddy. Michael threatens Takeda, who laughs off the threat and says he cut of his own finger to punish himself for having made a mistake at one point. He vows he won't betray his people. Still shaken afterward, Maddy say she hadn't "seen that" in a long time. It's clearly a reference to Michael's ability to tap into the kind of rage his father used to unleash, but neither of them says so directly and when Fi asks Michael what Maddy meant, he says he doesn't want to talk about it. Michael then sends Fi off to lure Huxley as a way to keep him close. Fi and Huxley head out of Miami, while Huxley talks about how Fi is the exciting kind of woman he wants to be with, not like his "boring" wife who just wants to talk about hanging drapes. Fi then basically goes nuts and scares Huxley off with her "living on the edge." Huxley runs off. Sugar delivers some amphetamines to Michael for Takeda. Maddy will administer them and says she just wants to get this over with. Inside, Takeda asks Maddy to help him and his friends will save her (thinking Maddy is being held captive like he is). Outside, Maddy tells Michael she didn't give Takeda the shot because he asked for her help and she thinks she can get him to talk. Michael does like it, but Maddy's right when she tells him that even though she's no expert interrogator, "the one person he is talking to is me." Sam and Michael plan how they're going to have Maddy try to get Takeda to tell her where his friends are, but warn her again that Michael will have to come in and be very aggressive with her to ensure that Takeda doesn't suspect they're working together. Maddy suggests Michael hit her, but he and Sam say that won't happen. "It's not like I haven't been hit before," she tells Michael. After a long pause, Michael tells her to snap her head to the side when she feels the impact, "but it'll still hurt." After an intense exchange that shakes Maddy up even more, and includes the hit, Michael leaves the room and Takeda tells her where he was supposed to meet his boss that day at 4 p.m. Huxley is shaken up by the experience with Fi, and Voiceover Michael explains that one way to protect a loose cannon is to shake him back into acting like a decent person. Huxley locks himself in the hotel bathroom while Fi chases him, and finally says his wife is "an angel." After he thinks Fi is gone, he calls his wife to tell her he misses her. Sam tries to eavesdrop on a couple of the gangsters but has interference and they leave quickly. Ryoko heard enough of the conversation through Jesse's fancy security firm microphones to hear that they said if Takeda doesn't check in within two hours, all the missing girls will be killed. Outside the house where they're holding Takeda, Michael tries to think of what to do next, and Maddy asks Michael what he'd do if she was in the situation. Sam suggests staging an escape where Maddy goes with Takeda. Michael doesn't want that to happen. He yells at Maddy to do what he tells her and she snaps back, "Don't tell me what I can't do! You can play your father in there, but not out here." Michael is stunned. The escape is on. Jesse and Fi chase Maddy and Takeda while Maddy tries to make it look like a real chase. Takeda won't tell Maddy where to go, though, and appears to notice a cell phone taped to the floor of the car that is connected to a conference call. After a few minutes, Fi tells Jesse to stop chasing Maddy and Takeda because Maddy can tell them her location through the cell phone. Takeda leads Maddy to an abandoned set of warehouses and tells her to leave. Maddy pretends they're still being chased and pleads with Takeda to tell her where his friends are so they can get protection. Michael hears this through the phone and tells Sam she's bluffing and that they should do a pass-by. They do and Maddy cranks up her pleas even more. She looks Takeda square in the eye and he finally gives her the name of the warehouse where his friends are, the location, the number of guards and the password. Takeda steps out of the car so Maddy can drive away, but she simply lights up a cigarette and waits for Michael and Sam to drive up. When they do, she tells them all the info about the warehouse and Michael hands her a gun, telling her to shoot Takeda in his good leg if he tries to move. Michael steps into the warehouse with Sam and Fi, and they free the girls. Later, Jesse gives the update and tells them all the men were taken back to Japan and will be doing time, and the girls have been sent home. He hands Michael an envelope of cash that his security firm provided for "emergency" situations. Michael refuses to take it, but Maddy gladly accepts. She pulls out a couple of bills and hands Michael the rest, telling him to fix up his dad's Charger. He says it might be time to leave the past in the past. Maddy suggests it's time to "stare the past down and deal with it." She says it happened and all they can do now is look toward the future. Max checks in with Michael and says he's a little uncomfortable with Michael bringing Fiona into the mission. Max gives Michael a jazz CD as a gift. Back at the loft, Michael gives Fi a nice little speech about how despite his new job, he doesn't want a new life. He wants the life he has with her. He wants to build her a shelf for her snow globes. Cast Main * Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen * Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne * Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe * Coby Bell as Jesse Porter * Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen Recurring *Grant Show as Max *Arturo Rossi as Sugar Guest *Eiko Nijo as Ryoko Maji *Brian Tee as Takeda *Daniel Gerroll as Carson Huxley *Eric Esteban as Hiroshi Trivia *The Burn Notice crew shows up on Google Street View at 3236 SW 27th Avenue in Miami. You can see the Google car driving by in the background at 39:31. Continuity Errors 502 502